Various domed-shaped structures have been proposed for use as toy igloos, as well as for other uses including beach shelters to protect from sun and sand, or as a camping shelter in lieu of a tent. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,737 (MacMillan) proposes a structural toy igloo made from curved blocks that can be fitted together or fastened using tabs that hold the blocks together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,701 (Hecht) discusses a toy igloo including a shell of several pieces that hook together at their edges. The igloo may be used as a support for snow or as an igloo-shaped shelter in the absence of snow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,813 (Nalick) provides a dome construction method using regular hexagonal and semi-hexagonal structural units interconnected using a wooden structure to form a dome structure. The dome is said to be useful for mass production of more permanent domed structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,398,852 (Gilbert) shows a building toy that fastens rectangular strips of cardboard together to form the walls and roofs of a house or other building. The system uses clips of tin or brass to hold the strips together.
Despite the foregoing contributions of others, there exists a need for a simple, inexpensive, easy-to-assemble dome-shaped structure that can be used as a toy igloo for children or as a sand, wind, rain, or sun shelter or deflector for adults on the beach or in similar places. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a dome-shaped temporary shelter for use as a toy igloo or as a shelter for use on the beach or while camping, or as shelter for industrial or emergency use.